Ursula Von Der Leyen, Kaja Kallas And Antonio Costa Agreed To Lead The European Union

JAKARTA - Incumbent European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa are reportedly agreed to lead the European Union.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed on Wednesday that three major groups of the European Parliament (EP) will support Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as President of the Commission.

In a speech at the German Parliament assessing the impact of this month's European general election, Chancellor Scholz said the groups had also agreed that former Portuguese prime minister Antonio Costa should become President of the European Council and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas should be the Head of Foreign Policy of the bloc.

The three groups combined have a majority in the European Parliament (EP), Scholz said, adding that he hoped that a meeting of EU leaders on Thursday would soon sign the arrangement.

"We must not linger in this difficult time," he said, adding that the European Parliament's vote had shown how various crises, from the coronavirus pandemic to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the war in the Middle East, had shattered confidence in the European Union and the national government. June 26.

Earlier on Wednesday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticized plans to divide the top positions of the European Union among the top three groups, saying they ignored the success of far-right parties in the European Parliament election.

"In my opinion, so far there has been no willingness to consider what citizens have said in ballot boxes," PM Meloni told lawmakers.

Its conservative Party, Brothers of Italy, won the most votes in Italy and is at the forefront of the European Conservative and Reformist Party (ECR) in the European Parliament.

Meloni said his ECR group, which has beaten liberals in the EU assembly, deserves a key voice in the appointment.

Scholz said the EP election results marked a turning point:

"We must ensure trust grows again in Germany and Europe, and in many countries around the world," he said.

"That means providing real solutions rather than just denouncing problems like those faced by populists," he said, for example, about illegal migration.

Citing CNBC, the President of the Commission is responsible for the EU's executive body and is responsible for setting the world's singles market, proposing new laws and directing the block's policy agenda over the next five years.

Meanwhile, the President of the Council decided on the general direction and political priority of the EU. Meanwhile, the Head of Foreign Policy handles foreign policy and international relations.

"There is an understanding between the three main parties," said one of the three EU officials who told CNBC anonymously, with the deal not yet officially confirmed.

Trio von der Leyen, Kallas, and Costa were approved by six EU leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, according to the source.

These appointments meet EU requirements for geographical balance and will be officially approved by the bloc's heads of state at a meeting in Brussels on Thursday. They will then be elected by the European Parliament in the future.